Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to notebook computers and related docking stations. More particularly, the present invention relates to detecting the compatibility of a notebook and a docking station, and in the proper circumstances notifying the computer user of upgrades necessary or required to increase functionality of the coupled units.
2. Background of the Invention
Notebook computers have become very popular in recent years because of their portable functionality. In not being constrained to a desk or other particular location, a notebook computer user has the capability of utilizing almost the complete functionality of a computer at locations that are not generally conducive to the use of a desktop-type computer.
However, with the portability feature also comes a relatively small size. In fact, some notebook computers of the present day have profiles of less than one inch and footprints only slightly larger than the standard piece of paper. Because of this small size, some functionality is lost, as compared to a desktop computer. To combat the loss of functionality, computer manufacturers provide some form of docking station for most notebooks.
Docking stations can take many forms. Some docking stations may be mere port replication devices. That is, there is no added functionality to the docking station; but rather, this lowest level docking station merely makes it easier to physically couple external devices such as scanners, full-size keyboards, printers, and the like.
A second level of docking station may perform these port replication functions, but also include hardware sufficient to extend one of the primary or secondary expansion buses of the notebook computer. By extending one of the communication buses of the notebook, functionality may be added to the computer that is not otherwise available to a notebook user because of the size of the notebook. For example, a user may add a second hard drive, a CD read/write device, a network interface card, or some other such device that is generally not available in the notebook standing alone. However, most expansion buses limit the number of devices that may be coupled to them, either for reasons of the particular protocol or for physical limitations on the bus itself. Thus, in the second level of docking station that merely extends an expansion bus of the notebook, the functionality that may be added is limited.
To combat the problems associated with merely extending one of the expansion buses of the notebook computer, some computer manufacturers place a bus bridge circuit within the docking station. In this way, the physical or protocol driven constraints as to the number of devices coupled to the bus can be increased significantly. As the technology of the docking station increases, it becomes important to ensure that the notebook computer is itself compatible with the hardware present in the docking station.
It is also common across families of notebook computers that each of the notebooks in the family may be capable of docking with multiple docking stations. In other words, it is not necessary that the notebook computer dock only with one particular docking station. Some computer manufacturers also support docking newer models of notebook computers with older docking stations. While these capabilities create many options for the computer system user, they also create problems for computer manufacturers with regard to ensuring that a particular notebook can dock with a particular docking station without damaging either of those devices. The problem is exacerbated in that in some cases a notebook may dock with a particular docking station, but with limited functionality, possibly because that docking station or the notebook needs software updates.
What is needed in the art is an inexpensive and reliable mechanism to insure that each notebook and docking station are compatible before allowing a complete electrical docking. What is further needed in the art is a mechanism or method that determines whether functionality may be lost between a docking station and a notebook, and notifying the computer user of that inadequacy.
The problems noted above are solved in large part by a notebook computer and a docking station that have the capability of communicating with each other and determining their combined compatibilities prior to complete electrical coupling. More particularly, the preferred embodiments have the capability of reading device information and read only memory (ROM) dates to determine the compatibility between the notebook and the docking station, and vice versa.
In docking a notebook to a docking station in the preferred embodiments, first the notebook is physically coupled to the docking station. Prior to electrically coupling an expansion bus of the notebook to a bridge device in the docking station, a serial communication pathway is established, preferably by closing a set of electrical quick switches. The serial communication pathway is preferably an I2C bus, or some other suitable serial communication protocol. The notebook computer preferably communicates over the serial communication bus to a serial electrical programmable read only memory (EPROM) device residing in the docking station. This serial EPROM in the docking station preferably contains at least a series of bits or bytes that identify the particular docking station product, and also a series of bits or bytes that identify a date of the ROM of that device, which is indicative of the software release date for that device.
Likewise, a microcontroller of the docking station preferably communicates over the serial communication pathway to query the ROM of the notebook computer. The microcontroller of the docking station determines the particular product to which it is docked and a ROM date for that product. Each of the notebook computer and docking station then makes a determination as to the compatibility with the other.
In particular, the notebook computer compares the product identification code and the ROM date for the docking station to a series of entries contained in a table, preferably stored in the notebook""s ROM. If a comparison of the product code to the table indicates that the devices are not compatible, then the notebook will not further electrically couple to the docking station. If the notebook determines that the devices are compatible, a second determination is made regarding whether the ROM date for the docking station meets a minimum requirement. If so, the notebook software approves the electrical connection between the notebook and the docking station.
In similar fashion, a microcontroller in the docking station compares the product code of the notebook to a table to determine whether the devices are compatible. If the product determination step is satisfied, the microcontroller then compares the ROM date of the notebook computer to determine if there is at least minimum functionality between the two devices. If so, software executed in the docking station microcontroller approves the electrical connection between the notebook and the docking station.
In the situation where the ROM date indicates that the devices are at least minimally compatible, the devices are allowed to electrically couple and docking operations continue as normal. However, in this case the preferred embodiment also notifies the computer system user that an update may be available for either the notebook ROM or the docking station ROM such that complete functionality may be obtained in the docked circumstance.